Unconfirmed news reports swirled yesterday that Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad was shot and possibly killed by a member of his bodyguard. A few hours later, Russian and Israeli news services issued similar reports stating that Assad has been shot and died on the operating table.
If all this is confirmed, it will result in a near de-facto victory for the Syrian rebels and be the latest Arab strongman to be removed. This also means that that the region will continue to destabilize, especially as the various rebel factions start squabbling in their attempts to seize Syrian chemical weapons and then decide what to do with them.
Expect Israel to strengthen their northern border quickly.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Game of Thrones - 1995 ed.
This is pretty funny. Someone put together an opening credits for Game of Thrones in the vein of Hercules and Xena:
Pope Time for Francis
So it appears that I was incorrect, but not by much. I had been thinking that the papal conclave would pick an Italian to be the next pope. Instead they pick an Argentinian who is the son of Italian immegrants. Sort of Italian-Not Italian (mmmm... Procaccini's).
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has taken the papal name of Francis (in honor of Francis of Assisi). The lack of a Peter in either his given name or his papal name will throw the St. Malachy folks for a loop, although they seem to be gloming on pretty hard to the fact that he is of Italian heritage, even if he is not Italian himself.
It is unlikely that Francis will change much of anything other than appearance. In Benedict XVI, the church had the equivalent of an ivory tower egghead; someone who enjoyed theology and debate. Francis has given the impression that he is interested in getting out to the people (a doer rather than a thinker). We shall see if anything comes of that.
At the very least, Francis has a lot of firsts going for him. In addition to the first pope named Francis, he is the first from the western hemisphere and obviously the first from South America. He is also the first Jesiut pope, which should give the anti-Catholic conspiracy folks a field day. Should be fun to watch.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has taken the papal name of Francis (in honor of Francis of Assisi). The lack of a Peter in either his given name or his papal name will throw the St. Malachy folks for a loop, although they seem to be gloming on pretty hard to the fact that he is of Italian heritage, even if he is not Italian himself.
It is unlikely that Francis will change much of anything other than appearance. In Benedict XVI, the church had the equivalent of an ivory tower egghead; someone who enjoyed theology and debate. Francis has given the impression that he is interested in getting out to the people (a doer rather than a thinker). We shall see if anything comes of that.
At the very least, Francis has a lot of firsts going for him. In addition to the first pope named Francis, he is the first from the western hemisphere and obviously the first from South America. He is also the first Jesiut pope, which should give the anti-Catholic conspiracy folks a field day. Should be fun to watch.
Friday, March 08, 2013
Pope Watch 2013
The countdown to the next pope (Petros Romanos?) will hit the next stage on Tuesday. The College of Cardinals (not Louisville) announced today that the will open the conclave on Tuesday, March 12th.
The general speculation has been that the Vatican wanted to have the new pope crowned by about St. Patrick's Day so that he would have a few days to get accustomed to the office before kicking things in to high gear for the Easter season. Given the amount of time for back room deal making even before the conclave, I think it likely that a new pope will be chosen well within the speculated time frame.
The general speculation has been that the Vatican wanted to have the new pope crowned by about St. Patrick's Day so that he would have a few days to get accustomed to the office before kicking things in to high gear for the Easter season. Given the amount of time for back room deal making even before the conclave, I think it likely that a new pope will be chosen well within the speculated time frame.
Friday, February 15, 2013
A New Pope
Like everyone else, I was quite surprised to learn on Monday that Pope Benedict XVI was going to resign. He was getting old enough that everyone just expected him to die in office like everyone else.
Naturally that has set off a flurry of speculation about his successor. Quite a number of men are considered in the running and Paddy Power has set odds on just about every member of the College of Cardinals. However, because of the so-called Prophecy of St. Malachy, interest has focused predominently on two men to suceed as Peter the Roman:
The first is Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone. He is currently the Vatican Secretary of State and seen as Pope Benedict's right hand man. He also happens to be from the Romano region of Italy, giving him an easy identification as a possible Peter the Roman. However, there are a few things going against him.
First is his age. He just turned 78 and the Vatican has a bit of a habit of replacing a long pope with a short one and a short one with a long one. If Cardinal Bertone were elected, his reign would look to be as short or possibly shorter than Benedict's.
Second, Cardinal Bertone is strongly tied to the policies of Pope Benedict and his elevation would be seen as a continuation of those policies. However, those policies are not particularly popular with the cardinals and much of the leity right now.
Third, Cardinal Bertone has been tied to several controversies in the past few years and his elevation would only increase these levels.
The second man that is getting a lot of Peter the Roman buzz is the current betting favorite, Cardinal Peter Turkson. After the world-wide work that Pope John Paul II did, many in the Catholic Church have expected a non-European pope. If it weren't for his age, Cardinal Francis Arinze would probably have the inside track, but he just turned 80 and I suspect that the Vatican is looking for a man a bit younger than Benedict was when he took office.
Cardinal Turkson fits the bill much better. He is only 64 and seen as a strong leader from Africa. He also has the distict advantage that although he is from Ghana and oversees Churches in that region of Africa, he has held Vatcian office for several years and is well aquainted with Vatican politics. He has been stationed in Rome long enough that people in Ghana refer to him as Peter the Roman as a badge of honor.
There is one other point that Cardinal Turkson fits while others do not: he is dark skinned. I've not been able to find a credible source, but there seems to be a belief that the last pope will have dark skin (the notations usually read "black pope"). This tidbit is not in St. Malachy's prophecy of Peter the Roman when read, but it is credited to him. I suspect that it may have come from a "reading in" of the prophecy rather than any specific wording. Early beliefs probably centered around this pope being evil and then evolved into his having dark skin.
We should find out next month anyway and then we can evaluate everything from there.
Naturally that has set off a flurry of speculation about his successor. Quite a number of men are considered in the running and Paddy Power has set odds on just about every member of the College of Cardinals. However, because of the so-called Prophecy of St. Malachy, interest has focused predominently on two men to suceed as Peter the Roman:
The first is Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone. He is currently the Vatican Secretary of State and seen as Pope Benedict's right hand man. He also happens to be from the Romano region of Italy, giving him an easy identification as a possible Peter the Roman. However, there are a few things going against him.
First is his age. He just turned 78 and the Vatican has a bit of a habit of replacing a long pope with a short one and a short one with a long one. If Cardinal Bertone were elected, his reign would look to be as short or possibly shorter than Benedict's.
Second, Cardinal Bertone is strongly tied to the policies of Pope Benedict and his elevation would be seen as a continuation of those policies. However, those policies are not particularly popular with the cardinals and much of the leity right now.
Third, Cardinal Bertone has been tied to several controversies in the past few years and his elevation would only increase these levels.
The second man that is getting a lot of Peter the Roman buzz is the current betting favorite, Cardinal Peter Turkson. After the world-wide work that Pope John Paul II did, many in the Catholic Church have expected a non-European pope. If it weren't for his age, Cardinal Francis Arinze would probably have the inside track, but he just turned 80 and I suspect that the Vatican is looking for a man a bit younger than Benedict was when he took office.
Cardinal Turkson fits the bill much better. He is only 64 and seen as a strong leader from Africa. He also has the distict advantage that although he is from Ghana and oversees Churches in that region of Africa, he has held Vatcian office for several years and is well aquainted with Vatican politics. He has been stationed in Rome long enough that people in Ghana refer to him as Peter the Roman as a badge of honor.
There is one other point that Cardinal Turkson fits while others do not: he is dark skinned. I've not been able to find a credible source, but there seems to be a belief that the last pope will have dark skin (the notations usually read "black pope"). This tidbit is not in St. Malachy's prophecy of Peter the Roman when read, but it is credited to him. I suspect that it may have come from a "reading in" of the prophecy rather than any specific wording. Early beliefs probably centered around this pope being evil and then evolved into his having dark skin.
We should find out next month anyway and then we can evaluate everything from there.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Talk Like a Pirate
This is a kindergardner version of a drinking song. I dare you to listen to it once and not find yourself humming or singing part of it at some point later in the day.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Lonely Zombie
There has been an upsurge in Zombie related entertainment (The Walking Dead, World War Z) lately. Why I'm not sure, but monsters seem to go in cycles and vampires have been done in a bit by Twilight.
In that spirit, here's the Lonely Zombie song from the folks at HISHE. They did a shortened version of this song as an end tag on their Resident Evil parody and then expanded the song when it was shown to be so popular. The contrast between the nature of the song and the lyrics is very funny.
In that spirit, here's the Lonely Zombie song from the folks at HISHE. They did a shortened version of this song as an end tag on their Resident Evil parody and then expanded the song when it was shown to be so popular. The contrast between the nature of the song and the lyrics is very funny.
Monday, February 04, 2013
Post Super Bowl Thoughts
I would like to pat myself on the back for calling the Super Bowl winner two weeks ago, but I can't really take all the credit. A friend of mine pointed out that when the Ravens beat the Colt, he thought the Ravens had this air about them very much like the Super Bowl XL (2005-6) Steelers, including an incredible dumb luck win over the #1 seed (in 2006 it was the Colts) that should have gone the other way.
Still, it does feel good to be right and the game wasn't half bad either. The first half was entertaining but a little off-putting with the 49'ers failing to punch it in and turning the ball over on a couple of drives. Sports announcers always remind the viewers how no team has ever come back from a defict of more than 10 points to win the Super Bowl and that held up again.
I honestly think the game would have ended up being a total bust if it hadn't been for the power failure. That clearly gave the 49'ers time to rest and regather themselves. I actually missed the third quarter and Mrs. X and I opted to flip over to Downton Abbey about halfway through the power failure. So I didn't see San Francisco's grind back into contention. I rejoined it in time for the kickoff after Baltimore had kicked a field goal to go up 31-23. Much as expected, the Niners went right down the field and got another touchdown, but was not that surprised when the failed on the 2-point conversion.
I figured the next drive would be make or break and I wasn't far off. The Ravens did manage to get close enough for a field goal which did force the Niners to go for a touchdown. As they drove the field, I was honestly expecting San Francisco to score said touchdown and was actually wondering if they had left too much time on the clock as they looked as though they would score before the two-minute warning and Baltimore would only need a field goal to win or tie (echos of New England).
Then came four failures. I think the Niners should have run the ball at least one more time (perhaps on third down) as a means of softening the blitz and perhaps catching the Ravens by surprise. Then there was the controversial non-call on 4th down. The ball would have been near impossible to catch in-bounds so I don't think pass interference was even considered. Holding could have been called, but I think the official kept the flag in his pocket for three reasons.
First, the officials had been allowing a lot of close stuff go. There were several non-calls earlier in the game that often get called. But the officials seem to have made the decision to let things go unless things were blatently obvious.
Second, officials in the playoffs have been notoriously hesitant about throwing flags near the end of the game on critical plays unless it is just too obvious to ignore, especially if they are on some short pass in the end zone.
Third, and I think this is actually the most critical, as much as the defender was fighting and holding on to the reciever, the reciever was hand fighting and trying to push off the defender. Neither man was playing completely clean to where the fault of the other was blatently obvious.
San Francisco fans will grumble and complain but I saw nothing wrong with making a no-call there and nothing inconsistent with it either.
Now, on to the commercials. They were particularly unmemorable this year. Usually, one might say that they were either good or bad or there might be a debate about which ones they liked or didn't. I simply can't remember most of them as they made almost no impression on me.
The only one that comes to my mind that I remember and like was the M&M's "Anything For Love". One, I like M&Ms; two, I like that song; and three, it took us a second, but the primary actress there is the same actress who plays Santana on Glee. I've seen a fair amount of love for Dodge's "Farmer" ad, which I missed. However, most of the love for this ad seems to stem for people's love of Paul Harvey and you have to pay close attention to notice that it's an ad for a Dodge truck.
The consensus worst ad was the Go Daddy ad featuring the Supermodel and the Nerd. If left to simple devices, the ad might have been funny, however, the producers elected to amp up the audio on the kissing to levels I've not even heard in adult films. Even if the Nerd had magically transformed to a Calvin Klien model (which was Mrs. X's favorite ad), the audio would have sickened anyone watching. It was memorable but for all the wrong reasons.
So here's to the end of another football season. Now we'll wait two and a half months until the draft and then four months after that to the start of the 2013 season.
Still, it does feel good to be right and the game wasn't half bad either. The first half was entertaining but a little off-putting with the 49'ers failing to punch it in and turning the ball over on a couple of drives. Sports announcers always remind the viewers how no team has ever come back from a defict of more than 10 points to win the Super Bowl and that held up again.
I honestly think the game would have ended up being a total bust if it hadn't been for the power failure. That clearly gave the 49'ers time to rest and regather themselves. I actually missed the third quarter and Mrs. X and I opted to flip over to Downton Abbey about halfway through the power failure. So I didn't see San Francisco's grind back into contention. I rejoined it in time for the kickoff after Baltimore had kicked a field goal to go up 31-23. Much as expected, the Niners went right down the field and got another touchdown, but was not that surprised when the failed on the 2-point conversion.
I figured the next drive would be make or break and I wasn't far off. The Ravens did manage to get close enough for a field goal which did force the Niners to go for a touchdown. As they drove the field, I was honestly expecting San Francisco to score said touchdown and was actually wondering if they had left too much time on the clock as they looked as though they would score before the two-minute warning and Baltimore would only need a field goal to win or tie (echos of New England).
Then came four failures. I think the Niners should have run the ball at least one more time (perhaps on third down) as a means of softening the blitz and perhaps catching the Ravens by surprise. Then there was the controversial non-call on 4th down. The ball would have been near impossible to catch in-bounds so I don't think pass interference was even considered. Holding could have been called, but I think the official kept the flag in his pocket for three reasons.
First, the officials had been allowing a lot of close stuff go. There were several non-calls earlier in the game that often get called. But the officials seem to have made the decision to let things go unless things were blatently obvious.
Second, officials in the playoffs have been notoriously hesitant about throwing flags near the end of the game on critical plays unless it is just too obvious to ignore, especially if they are on some short pass in the end zone.
Third, and I think this is actually the most critical, as much as the defender was fighting and holding on to the reciever, the reciever was hand fighting and trying to push off the defender. Neither man was playing completely clean to where the fault of the other was blatently obvious.
San Francisco fans will grumble and complain but I saw nothing wrong with making a no-call there and nothing inconsistent with it either.
Now, on to the commercials. They were particularly unmemorable this year. Usually, one might say that they were either good or bad or there might be a debate about which ones they liked or didn't. I simply can't remember most of them as they made almost no impression on me.
The only one that comes to my mind that I remember and like was the M&M's "Anything For Love". One, I like M&Ms; two, I like that song; and three, it took us a second, but the primary actress there is the same actress who plays Santana on Glee. I've seen a fair amount of love for Dodge's "Farmer" ad, which I missed. However, most of the love for this ad seems to stem for people's love of Paul Harvey and you have to pay close attention to notice that it's an ad for a Dodge truck.
The consensus worst ad was the Go Daddy ad featuring the Supermodel and the Nerd. If left to simple devices, the ad might have been funny, however, the producers elected to amp up the audio on the kissing to levels I've not even heard in adult films. Even if the Nerd had magically transformed to a Calvin Klien model (which was Mrs. X's favorite ad), the audio would have sickened anyone watching. It was memorable but for all the wrong reasons.
So here's to the end of another football season. Now we'll wait two and a half months until the draft and then four months after that to the start of the 2013 season.
Monday, January 21, 2013
The Harbaugh Bowl
Although I hadn't posted about it, I think I did pretty well in the post-season picks this year. I got all four games right in the first week. I went 2 of 4 in the second week (I picked Denver, New England, San Francisco, and Seattle) and then I got both games right this week.
I was a lot less sold on Baltimore, but after they defeated Denver, a friend of mine told me that that he thought that this Ravens team looks an awful lot like the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL back in 2006. New England wasn't that good when one looked at them closely and they're much vaunted defense was about as bad as I expected. Baltimore would have won by even more if their recievers had figured out how to catch the ball before the second half. There were a number of dropped passes that the defense had nothing to do with.
On the NFC side, I had a feeling about the 49ers but that feeling was tested early when the Falcons jumped up 17-0. Then you could see the tide turning, much like the Seattle game. The only question was whether or not San Francisco was going to shoot themselves in the foot before they managed to take the lead. But they did and they managed to bleed the Falcons down at the end.
So who has the advantage in the Super Bowl? Going with the '05 Steelers parallel, I would say Baltimore. I think their defense is more consistent (even if it is old) and I think they will hit harder than the 49ers, who still seem like a bit of a finese team (although not as much as the Falcons). I also trust the Baltimore offense and it's deep threat better than I do the scrambling QB for the 49ers.
I was a lot less sold on Baltimore, but after they defeated Denver, a friend of mine told me that that he thought that this Ravens team looks an awful lot like the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL back in 2006. New England wasn't that good when one looked at them closely and they're much vaunted defense was about as bad as I expected. Baltimore would have won by even more if their recievers had figured out how to catch the ball before the second half. There were a number of dropped passes that the defense had nothing to do with.
On the NFC side, I had a feeling about the 49ers but that feeling was tested early when the Falcons jumped up 17-0. Then you could see the tide turning, much like the Seattle game. The only question was whether or not San Francisco was going to shoot themselves in the foot before they managed to take the lead. But they did and they managed to bleed the Falcons down at the end.
So who has the advantage in the Super Bowl? Going with the '05 Steelers parallel, I would say Baltimore. I think their defense is more consistent (even if it is old) and I think they will hit harder than the 49ers, who still seem like a bit of a finese team (although not as much as the Falcons). I also trust the Baltimore offense and it's deep threat better than I do the scrambling QB for the 49ers.
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Riddle of Power
A king, a priest, and a wealthy man are in a room together. Also in the room is a poor, common man with a sword. Each man demands that the commoner kill the other two. The king promises to elevate the man to that of a knight with his own lands and estate. The priest promises that the man will have earned favor with God and his place in paradise will be assured. The wealthy man offers half of his fortune for the man to do with as he pleases.
Who does the common man obey and who dies?
This is a variation on a riddle posed by the spymaster Varys to the newly appointed Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister, in A Clash of Kings. The riddle itself is most interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is that it has no answer. Obviously the common man is going to respond to whichever aspect of power is most attractive to himself, whether that be governmental, spiritual, or monetary.
The riddle is also interesting in how it shows that power itself is an illusion. The three men in question all held things that defined power, but the true power of life and death was held by the man with the sword. Only by the exise of this power, would the power of the survivor be able to manifest itself to the benefit of the common man with the sword. However, the powers that the three men have are real to some degree because the common man can't take what was offered from the two dead men. Likewise, he earns nothing for his troubles if he kills all three men with his absolute power of life and death. This gives a partial answer to the follow up question that if the man with the sword has all the power, why to the men with swords follow the leaders and not the other way around?
I have no real point to all of this, only to note the interesting nature of power and the illusary pursuit of it. I like riddles and I like philosphical questions as well.
Who does the common man obey and who dies?
This is a variation on a riddle posed by the spymaster Varys to the newly appointed Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister, in A Clash of Kings. The riddle itself is most interesting for several reasons, not the least of which is that it has no answer. Obviously the common man is going to respond to whichever aspect of power is most attractive to himself, whether that be governmental, spiritual, or monetary.
The riddle is also interesting in how it shows that power itself is an illusion. The three men in question all held things that defined power, but the true power of life and death was held by the man with the sword. Only by the exise of this power, would the power of the survivor be able to manifest itself to the benefit of the common man with the sword. However, the powers that the three men have are real to some degree because the common man can't take what was offered from the two dead men. Likewise, he earns nothing for his troubles if he kills all three men with his absolute power of life and death. This gives a partial answer to the follow up question that if the man with the sword has all the power, why to the men with swords follow the leaders and not the other way around?
I have no real point to all of this, only to note the interesting nature of power and the illusary pursuit of it. I like riddles and I like philosphical questions as well.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Monday, January 07, 2013
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
NFL Playoffs - Wild Card Round
The NFL Playoffs begin this Saturday and especially as the Bengals have actually gotten in, it seems only natural that we take a quick look at things.
Game 1 - Cincinnati at Houston
This is a rematch of the wild card game last year. The Bengals had a good chance going in but Houston was too strong and prevailed. This year, no one seems to be giving Cincinnati even a fighting chance. This is somewhat understandable as up until the last week of the season, Houston was in line for the #1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Houston has an okay defense but a very good offense. Cincinnati has a pretty good defense, but their offense is sorely lacking. AJ Green remains the only true wide recieving threat and the running game has struggled all season. Unless the defense goes into hyperdrive and scores at least one touchdown for the Bengals, I would expect Houston to win the game comfortably.
Game 2 - Minnesota at Green Bay
Divisional playoff games are always hard to get a proper bead on. Minnesota beat Green Bay in the last game of the regular season to make the playoffs so they certainly know how to beat them. Minnesota's defense is nothing to sneeze at and any offense that has Adrian Peterson is always a threat. Green Bay may have one of the best offenses in the league but their defense is still pretty terrible. Still, the game will be played in Green Bay and I have a hard time believing that a team as experienced as the Packers will fold under pressure of the first round. The Vikings could do it, but I would still expect Green Bay to emerge victorious.
Game 3 - Indianapolis at Baltimore
This is where the possiblity of upsets start to become more realistic. Baltimore started strong but has been hampered by injuries as the season has gone on. Their once vaunted defense is a shell of it's former glory and the offense has never fully materialized. Conversely, the Indianapolis offense has become stronger against more difficult foes. Their defense is still a bit suspect but that may not matter as much against a weaker offense. If Baltimore has a good chance of avoiding the upset it is the fact that they are the veteran team and this Colts team has enough new parts that they may be caught up in the "happy to be here" moment. I would give the edge to Baltimore but I think Indianapolis has nearly a 50-50 chance of winning the game.
Game 4 - Seattle at Washington
Washington has done very well to win the East and get to this point. They are a good team and are fairly hot at the moment. However, they are going up against what may be the hottest team in football at the moment in Seattle. Seattle and Washington are nearly mirror images of each other with a mobile QB and a run first mentality anchored by a quick, slashing running attack. Washington probably has a slightly better defense but I wouldn't slouch on Seattle's defense. Washington has homefield and RG3 has been amazing in his ability to magic wins from nowhere but they are also going to be somewhat emotionally spent after the game against Dallas to win the division. Seattle has a long ride but they are used to that and have been assured of a playoff spot since the end of Week 16. I think Seattle will keep their momentum going and win against Washington but I think it will take nearly everything they've got to top the Redskins.
Game 1 - Cincinnati at Houston
This is a rematch of the wild card game last year. The Bengals had a good chance going in but Houston was too strong and prevailed. This year, no one seems to be giving Cincinnati even a fighting chance. This is somewhat understandable as up until the last week of the season, Houston was in line for the #1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Houston has an okay defense but a very good offense. Cincinnati has a pretty good defense, but their offense is sorely lacking. AJ Green remains the only true wide recieving threat and the running game has struggled all season. Unless the defense goes into hyperdrive and scores at least one touchdown for the Bengals, I would expect Houston to win the game comfortably.
Game 2 - Minnesota at Green Bay
Divisional playoff games are always hard to get a proper bead on. Minnesota beat Green Bay in the last game of the regular season to make the playoffs so they certainly know how to beat them. Minnesota's defense is nothing to sneeze at and any offense that has Adrian Peterson is always a threat. Green Bay may have one of the best offenses in the league but their defense is still pretty terrible. Still, the game will be played in Green Bay and I have a hard time believing that a team as experienced as the Packers will fold under pressure of the first round. The Vikings could do it, but I would still expect Green Bay to emerge victorious.
Game 3 - Indianapolis at Baltimore
This is where the possiblity of upsets start to become more realistic. Baltimore started strong but has been hampered by injuries as the season has gone on. Their once vaunted defense is a shell of it's former glory and the offense has never fully materialized. Conversely, the Indianapolis offense has become stronger against more difficult foes. Their defense is still a bit suspect but that may not matter as much against a weaker offense. If Baltimore has a good chance of avoiding the upset it is the fact that they are the veteran team and this Colts team has enough new parts that they may be caught up in the "happy to be here" moment. I would give the edge to Baltimore but I think Indianapolis has nearly a 50-50 chance of winning the game.
Game 4 - Seattle at Washington
Washington has done very well to win the East and get to this point. They are a good team and are fairly hot at the moment. However, they are going up against what may be the hottest team in football at the moment in Seattle. Seattle and Washington are nearly mirror images of each other with a mobile QB and a run first mentality anchored by a quick, slashing running attack. Washington probably has a slightly better defense but I wouldn't slouch on Seattle's defense. Washington has homefield and RG3 has been amazing in his ability to magic wins from nowhere but they are also going to be somewhat emotionally spent after the game against Dallas to win the division. Seattle has a long ride but they are used to that and have been assured of a playoff spot since the end of Week 16. I think Seattle will keep their momentum going and win against Washington but I think it will take nearly everything they've got to top the Redskins.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Monday, December 03, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
A New Pharaoh
There has not been a Pharaoh ruling Egypt since Augustus Caesar ordered the execution of Ptolemy XV Caesarion in 30 BC; although some might argue that Gamal Abdel Nassar came very close. That seems to have changed with the new constitution ratified by the Egyptian parlament.
In the new constitution Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, has been granted sweeping powers that President's Nassar and Mubarak could only have dreamed of. It is not quite to the level of Pharaoh (as I don't believe he has been granted dynastic succession) but the powers are vast and the protesters filling the streets have been chanting against "Pharaoh Morsi" while they attack Muslim Brotherhood sites.
Unlike some of the other Arab Spring sites (such as Syria), I don't believe that the protesters will win if they move to take military action. But a civil war is certainly possible, which will disrupt Egypt and the whole region for quite a while.
Add to this potential civil, the actual civil war in Syria and the UN's recognition of Palestine as a non-observer state yesterday and you have a reciepe for some serious nastiness in the Middle East.
The one aspect that seems to have escaped people is the full implication of what UN recognition of Palestine means. First, it means that the Oslo Accords are officially dissolved. The PLO coucil will now operate as a legislative body and any new treaties will have to be negotiated with it.
Second, and with broader implications, Israel is no longer negotiating with a people group but a declared state. Israel has stated that under international law, they will move to openly annex all territory where Jewish settlements have been established in Judea and Samaria. This is likely to seen as an assault on Palestinian territory (as they claim all land lost in the 1967 Six-Day War) and will likely move to force international sanctions through the International Criminal Court (ICC) or move to open war with whatever partners they can find.
This grows even futher when you consider that Likud (the ruling party) has nominated a slate that is more conservative than they've had in years. If they get a plurality (and it is widely expected that they will) in the January elections, it will be seen as notice to the Arabs that they are ready and perhaps willing for a fight. More so with expectation that Iran will hit a critical milestone for the development of their nuclear arsenal in late Spring of next year.
Needless to say, I think it is going to get even uglier over there before it gets any better.
In the new constitution Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, has been granted sweeping powers that President's Nassar and Mubarak could only have dreamed of. It is not quite to the level of Pharaoh (as I don't believe he has been granted dynastic succession) but the powers are vast and the protesters filling the streets have been chanting against "Pharaoh Morsi" while they attack Muslim Brotherhood sites.
Unlike some of the other Arab Spring sites (such as Syria), I don't believe that the protesters will win if they move to take military action. But a civil war is certainly possible, which will disrupt Egypt and the whole region for quite a while.
Add to this potential civil, the actual civil war in Syria and the UN's recognition of Palestine as a non-observer state yesterday and you have a reciepe for some serious nastiness in the Middle East.
The one aspect that seems to have escaped people is the full implication of what UN recognition of Palestine means. First, it means that the Oslo Accords are officially dissolved. The PLO coucil will now operate as a legislative body and any new treaties will have to be negotiated with it.
Second, and with broader implications, Israel is no longer negotiating with a people group but a declared state. Israel has stated that under international law, they will move to openly annex all territory where Jewish settlements have been established in Judea and Samaria. This is likely to seen as an assault on Palestinian territory (as they claim all land lost in the 1967 Six-Day War) and will likely move to force international sanctions through the International Criminal Court (ICC) or move to open war with whatever partners they can find.
This grows even futher when you consider that Likud (the ruling party) has nominated a slate that is more conservative than they've had in years. If they get a plurality (and it is widely expected that they will) in the January elections, it will be seen as notice to the Arabs that they are ready and perhaps willing for a fight. More so with expectation that Iran will hit a critical milestone for the development of their nuclear arsenal in late Spring of next year.
Needless to say, I think it is going to get even uglier over there before it gets any better.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Rains of Castamere
Very difficult not to just hum this tune randomly through the day.
So speaks the pride of Lannister.
So speaks the pride of Lannister.
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Lux Aeterna
I should qualify that this is from Requiem for a Dream and not from 2001. An amazing piece of music.
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
The 51st State
Puerto Rico held a referendum yesterday and the news of that was somewhat lost amid the Presidential results.
The referendum was in two parts. The first part was whether to maintain their current status as a United States territory. The voters opted to terminate their status as a territory 53.99-46.01. The second part of the referendum was that if the majority opted to terminate the current status, they were to choose from three options: apply for statehood, independent nation status, or an independent nation with associated status with the United States (the US currently has this status with the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau). The voters opted for statehood with 61.15% of the vote. Associated free state came in second with 33.31% of the vote.
As such, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico will draft legislation to be submitted to Congress applying for statehood. This bill will have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by President Obama. I don't forsee anyone having a problem with accepting Puerto Rico as a full state after all this time so it is very possible that the 51st state will be admitted sometime next year.
The referendum was in two parts. The first part was whether to maintain their current status as a United States territory. The voters opted to terminate their status as a territory 53.99-46.01. The second part of the referendum was that if the majority opted to terminate the current status, they were to choose from three options: apply for statehood, independent nation status, or an independent nation with associated status with the United States (the US currently has this status with the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau). The voters opted for statehood with 61.15% of the vote. Associated free state came in second with 33.31% of the vote.
As such, the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico will draft legislation to be submitted to Congress applying for statehood. This bill will have to pass both the House and Senate and be signed by President Obama. I don't forsee anyone having a problem with accepting Puerto Rico as a full state after all this time so it is very possible that the 51st state will be admitted sometime next year.
Reelection
Blogger crapped out on me just before 10 last night so I was unable to do any additional updates, but there wasn't too much else to say.
For the second Presidential election in a row, I've not only been wrong, but very wrong. I had made the assumption that Mr. Romney would win based on a couple of key assumptions. First, that turnout for Mr. Obama would not be as high as it was in 2008. Voter enthusiasm for Mr. Obama seemed to be down and it wasn't hard to believe that what had been a D+7 electorate would reduce to a D+2 or 3. This may have in fact happened when you look at how much closer it was in terms of the raw numbers in each state.
The second assumption is the one that appears to have defeated me and several other pundits. Nearly every pollster was reporting a large volume of Independents supporting Mr. Romney. Mr. Obama won Independents in 2008 by several points but that had reversed itself in polling. It would appear that that was the mistake. Either Independents were not being honest in the various polls or their support for Mr. Romney was vastly overblown.
Either way, I was wrong and Mr. Obama has been reelected. Republicans maintained their control of the House while Democrats increased their strength in the Senate. For all practical purposes, this was a status quo election where the electorate opted to not rock the boat this time around.
For the second Presidential election in a row, I've not only been wrong, but very wrong. I had made the assumption that Mr. Romney would win based on a couple of key assumptions. First, that turnout for Mr. Obama would not be as high as it was in 2008. Voter enthusiasm for Mr. Obama seemed to be down and it wasn't hard to believe that what had been a D+7 electorate would reduce to a D+2 or 3. This may have in fact happened when you look at how much closer it was in terms of the raw numbers in each state.
The second assumption is the one that appears to have defeated me and several other pundits. Nearly every pollster was reporting a large volume of Independents supporting Mr. Romney. Mr. Obama won Independents in 2008 by several points but that had reversed itself in polling. It would appear that that was the mistake. Either Independents were not being honest in the various polls or their support for Mr. Romney was vastly overblown.
Either way, I was wrong and Mr. Obama has been reelected. Republicans maintained their control of the House while Democrats increased their strength in the Senate. For all practical purposes, this was a status quo election where the electorate opted to not rock the boat this time around.
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